Last weekend, the first of four GLOW mini camps occurred, which meant an incredibly fun and utterly exhausting weekend working with 30 primary school students. Teenage pregnancy rates are through the roof in our district, so we focused the two days around activities that empower youth (especially girls) to live happy and healthy lives. We did sessions on goal setting, decision making, alcohol abuse, implications of teenage pregnancy and games. Lots and lots of games. There’s was lots of fun all around, and I’m really looking forward to doing the next one in the Etshas in two weeks, hopefully with a few of the kinks worked out in the planning and execution stages.
It was also an exciting weekend for the women of Voices of the Community, an anti gender based violence group Jeff, Aimee and I have been working with for the past few months. They were a new group, in the very early stages when we all arrived at site; Jeff has helped through the numerous steps of registering as a Society in Botswana and general day to day capacity while Aimee and I have been training them on subjects from gender vs sex basics to facilitation skills. This GLOW workshop was they’re first time presenting sessions, and they rocked it! It was incredible to see them interacting with the kids in such a fun, animated way. When we first started out, they couldn't say anything related to genitalia without giggling, and in last weekend’s sessions they were acting out parts the female reproductive system and talking to the kids about healthy relationships. Things can be so difficult here; but man oh man, when something really goes right… it’s a pretty incredible feeling.
One of the Voices ladies, Mma Day, talking to the kids
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